Inside ICE: Volume 2, Issue 11

US-VISIT Achieves Big Results in Protecting U.S. Homeland

WASHINGTON, D.C. — US-VISIT, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) program that collects biometric and biographic data from visa applicants and visitors to the United States, has achieved unprecedented results in helping U.S. agencies identify criminals and other violators seeking entry to the country, senior DHS officials announced May 17.

Created in January 2004 and administered by DHS, the US-VISIT Program is a continuum of security measures that collects biometric data, such as fingerprints and biographic information from visitors at U.S. visa-issuing posts worldwide and upon their arrival at, and departure from, U.S. air, sea and land ports.

In its first 17 months, the matching of fingerprints and biographic information against the US-VISIT database enabled State Department consular officers to deny visas to approximately 7,000 applicants, more than a third of whom were identified because their prints matched U.S. government law enforcement and security lists.

At the same time, fingerprints and other data from US-VISIT have enabled inspectors from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to deny entry to 594 people who arrived at U.S. borders seeking entry. Furthermore, the US-VISIT program has helped special agents from ICE arrest 39 people through fingerprint matches, investigative leads and other information.

“In the past, criminals and others who were the subject of lookouts needed only a new name to slip across our borders. With US-VISIT, fingerprints reveal the true identity underneath any alias,” said Assistant Secretary Michael Garcia.

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US-VISIT Achieves Big Results in Protecting U.S. Homeland

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Inside ICE is an e-newsletter produced by the ICE Office of Public Affairs to inform the public about the mission, operations and activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Please send comments and contributions to Russ Bergeron, Editor.

425 I St NW
Washington, D.C. 20536
Attn: Office of Public Affairs
Russ Bergeron, Editor
Phone: 202-514-2648
Fax: 202-514-1776
Russ.Bergeron@dhs.gov